31 March 2012

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Today I'm introducing you to a little cookbook that I'm sorry to see might be a bit difficult to track down, although a couple of popular online bookstores had copies. Marie Simmons's Bar Cookies A to Z is one of my go-to sources when I want to bake up a quick dessert.

Before I decribe my latest baking adventures, I should tell you that Simmons is a fairly prolific cookbook author. Her résumé includes a number of Williams-Sonoma books, a couple about rice, a few on light or vegetarian cooking, two or three "A to Z" titles, and at least two "Fast & Fresh" books. I own three or four of her books, and I've always found Marie Simmons's recipes to be reliable.

Bar Cookies A to Z is a slim volume at just over 100 pages, but it's chockfull of recipes for and photos of delicious baked goods to suit pretty much every taste. The recipes are, as you probably already figured out, arranged alphabetically by title, and most letters contain more than one recipe.

There are chocolate and coffee cookies under C, gingery goodies under G, and tasty toffee treats under T. (You can relax, I just ran out of alliterations.) Here are some recipes I've made over the years:

Carrot-Pecan Bars with Cream Cheese and Nutmeg Frosting

Dark Ginger Bars with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Orange and Cranberry Ginger-Oat Bars

Queen Victoria Bream Bars (orange-flavored)

Vanilla Shortbread Bars

Last night I had a hankering for Hermits. As Simmons says in the recipe introduction, there are a lot of variations on this cookie. I love her version because it has maple in it.

2. Make the Batter: Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. Combine the walnuts and the dark and golden raisins in a bowl. Add about 1 tablespoon of the four mixture; toss to coat; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in the maple syrup; add the vanilla.

4. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until blended. Fold in the dried fruits and nuts.

5. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges turn golden and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool on a wire rack.

6. Make the Icing: Sift the confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Gradually stir in 6 tablespoons of half-and-half until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the vanilla. Add more cream if needed to make a smooth spreadable consistency. Spread the cooled bars with the icing and let set for 1 to 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Beth F's notes: I use whatever dried fruit I have on hand. The bars shown here were made with 1 cup of craisins and ½ cup of dark raisins. I used pecans instead of walnuts. In addition, I happened to have had fresh orange zest that needed to be used up, so I added a tablespoon to the icing.

Oh yum! Love the "A-Z" format and like making bar cookies since they're less time consuming that baking batches of regular cookies.

I like using golden raisins since they're less cloying than regular raisins. These Hermits look delicious and moist!

Would like to invite everyone to the Alphabet Soup Poetry Potluck. Each weekday in April, a guest poet will share a poem and favorite recipe. Enter the giveaway and comment during the week to win door prizes. :)

ohhhh..they look delicious! I have never had a hermit, but they look like something I need to make soon, very soon.But then all those bars you mentioned sound good. I must say the Carrot-Pecan Bars with Cream Cheese and Nutmeg Frosting sound excellent.

They look great. Like Marg I have never heard of Hermits before and am not much of a cookie maker. When I joined the Blog cookie exchange last Christmas I had a real until to find a quick and easy recipe.

Love it when I find a cookbook that works for so many recipes. Will have to keep and eye out for this author. I agree with the other commentors, bar cookies are so convenient. One pan in the oven, no watching and hovering tray after tray.

Sorry I have missed you all for so many weeks. Have been rather busy with my parents, but we can see the light in the tunnel and it's a good one. Mom and dad are making soup a couple times a week now and rather enjoying it. I think they cooking better now than they have in years. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful soup recipes.

I love to bake bar cookies, primarily because of how much faster they are. A Hermit bar cookie is new to me. I want to try this one to see how much faster this one is, in addition to checking out that maple syrup. Sounds good.

Those hermits look delicious, and I don't think I have ever come across a cookbook that focuses just on bar cookies. I can't eat a lot of sweets, but this might be nice to have on hand when I need to make something for a special event. Great post today!

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About Me

I'm a freelance book editor, reviewer, and journalist blogging as Beth Fish. On these pages, you'll find book reviews, book features, and other bookish content. I like to spotlight my favorite imprints and I'm a long-time audiobook lover. (I was the Audio Publishers Association's 2016 Audiobook Blogger of the Year!) Each Saturday I host my popular Weekend Cooking feature. Don't forget to look for my weekly photograph. You can find me on social media as @BethFishReads. Publicists, publishers, authors: please see my review policy. NB: I did not work on any book mentioned on this site.

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